February 28--Wide Open Hearts

What happens when people open their hearts? They get better. 
--Haruki Murakami

    This comes from spiritual teacher, Beverly Lanzetta:

    Over the years, I have composed and followed a personal rule of life. I include below excerpts from the original and longer rule, which you may find helpful in writing and living your own code of conduct.

1. Be faithful to the Divine in all that you do. Put the Divine will before your own. Ask, “What would God do?” and wait for the answer. Do not allow personal attraction or gain to cloud decision-making, or your soul’s intentions to be compromised.
    
2. Be simple of purpose. The basis of simplicity is centering on God. The heart of life is to live in God’s presence. 
    
3. Love all of creation with Divine compassion. Total commitment brings change. Give to life your unparalleled commitment, and complete love, one that is without self-interest.
    
4. Offer yourself as a place of prayer. May your presence be one that heals divisions and expands hearts.
    
5. Be attuned to the splendor of creation, and the gentle web of existence. Celebrate embodiment. Actively work—both within yourself and in the world—to make the holy manifest.
    
6. Refrain from possession. Remember the transient nature of earthly life. Possession can occur on all levels: physical, emotional, psychic, spiritual. Love expands the spirit, possession contracts it.
    
7. Pray daily to grow in humility, and to be empty of the false self. Offer over to the Divine your regrets, sorrows, doubts, motives, and unresolved desires.
    
8. In all you do, practice nonharm. Make a small footprint, tread lightly, become aware of the impact your actions have on others. The refusal to reflect on your motives leads to suffering (for others and also one’s self).
    
9. Treat all religions and spiritual paths with honor and respect. Enter silence. Keep faith alive.
    
10. Create community wherever you are. Make of your heart a home for the homeless, a refuge for the poor. Pray for the well-being of your sisters and brothers.

    I'd say practicing all of these is surely a heart-opening endeavor, and would certainly make each one of us and the world better. 

        Leta